Throwing a great baby shower: Mom-to-mom tips

Baby showers are an important rite of passage for pregnant women. They give the mom-to-be a chance to receive some much-needed gifts and they also serve as an important ritual that allows us to honor our friends who are about to embark on the most important job of their lives. If you are planning a shower, here are some mom-to-mom tips on throwing a party that everyone will enjoy and remember.

Create a Special Memory

'For my sister's shower, my mom handed each guest a piece of notebook paper, and asked everyone to write a message to the baby for her 16th birthday. Then she sealed them
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all in a large envelope and wrote 'Do not open until September 22, 2016.' I think this is a great idea, because the notes will be something my niece can treasure.'

Play a Guessing Game

'First you will need a large plastic Easter egg or one of those eggs that nylons come in. Next start collecting things from around the house that you would not want the baby to pick up. Each item has to be small enough to fit in the egg. Some examples are a safety pin, nail, key, coin, string, paper clip, button, pen cap, sewing needle, beans, grain of rice or hard candy. Then, at the shower, give your guests a piece of paper, a pen and a time limit and let them guess what is inside. The one who guesses the most wins! Make sure and put plenty of items in the egg so that it is more interesting and fun for the guests to guess.'

Include the Dads-to-Be

'One way to include the Dad in the baby shower for his wife is to give him a hospital gift bag, including change for vending machines and the phone, a book, snacks, clean socks and even some Advil for that headache that is sure to come with so much to do. Another idea is to have a cookout baby shower and invite couples. My friends and I had a cookout shower with an Old West theme. The dads really enjoyed this one. The honorary couple was new to our area and it gave the everyone a chance to get to know each other.'

Throw a Long-Distance Shower

'I had a long distance shower for my sister -- I asked everyone to come over and bring their unwrapped gifts and some wrapping paper. We all showed off the gifts we bought, then set up a video camera to tape everything. We wrapped presents while enjoying refreshments, favors, everything that you usually have at a shower (except the honoree.) Then we boxed all the gifts up and sent them to my sister, along with the video and instructions to open the gifts while watching the video. It was a lot of fun for everyone.'

'My sister-in-law lives far away from us and is pregnant with her fourth baby. None of us can be there to give her a shower (which I think every pregnant woman deserves!) so I decided to send her a 'Baby Shower in a Box.' In a large shipping box I will put gifts from all the family members who are here (wrapped of course), a large decorated cookie (this will be the cake) and a list of games. I'll seal each game answer in an envelope to be revealed after the game is played and include prizes for each winner. The games are guess how many jelly beans are in the baby bottle and guess the price of assorted baby items (inspired by the Price Is Right). My father-in-law has written a poem about 'Baby Shower in a Box.' And last, but not least, I will add some helium balloons, so hopefully when the box is opened the balloons will float up and out, with the poem attached.'

Re: Throwing a great baby shower: Mom-to-mom tips

Great ideas